Thailand, Indonesia to face heavy penalties after fighting in SEA Games final

The brawl between players and coaching staff of Thailand and Indonesia during the SEA Games 32 men’s football final on May 16, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

Hosts Cambodia asked AFC to supervise and coordinate all football matches at SEA Games 32. The report of the final between Thailand and Indonesia on Tuesday evening will be sent to AFC to decide on the penalties.

“There will be no stripping of medals, but the players and coaching staff who participated in the fights will definitely be fined and suspended,” an AFC official told VnExpress on Wednesday afternoon.

However, it may take up to a month for the AFC to decide the penalties.

At the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, in the ninth minute of second-half injury time, Indonesia were leading 2-1 when the referee blew the whistle for Thailand to take a freekick. The Indonesian coaching staff mistook it for the final whistle, so entered the field to celebrate.

From the ensuing freekick, the ball found Yotsakorn Burapha and Thailand equalized to make it 2-2. The Thai coaching team then started to provoke Indonesia with a celebration, which led to a brawl. Security had to intervene before the match was resumed.

In the second minute of extra time, Indonesia scored to make it 3-2. This time, it was their turn to return the favor with a provocative celebration in front of Thailand. Both sides started chasing, punching, kicking and slapping each other, creating chaos on the field. Security had to step in again before the referee gave five red cards to players and coaching staff on both teams.

The match ended with a 5-2 victory for Indonesia whose team had 10 men on the field, and Thailand with only eight. This was the most intense SEA Games final ever, with a total of seven red and 12 yellow cards given across both teams.

 

 

Thailand, Indonesia to face heavy penalties after fighting in SEA Games final

Fights at SEA Games 32 final between Indonesia, Thailand